Methods and apparatuses for window display, and methods and apparatuses for touch-operating an application

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are methods and apparatuses for window display, and methods and apparatuses for touch-operating an application. The method for touch-operating an application includes generating an operation instruction for a main menu displayed on a screen based on a first input operation on a region of the screen corresponding to the main menu, and for each of M touch areas, adjusting the display position of the touch area from a first position to a second position based on the operation instructions, wherein the positive direction of display for graphics and/or texts in at least one of the M touch areas is different between the first position and the second position. An application enabling instruction is generated based on an operation on a first touch area of the M touch areas for enabling an application corresponding to the first touch area, and the application corresponding to the first touch area is enabled based on the application enabling instruction. The present application also discloses an apparatus for implementing the method.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/666,998filed Nov. 2, 2012 for “METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR WINDOW DISPLAY, ANDMETHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR TOUCH-OPERATING AN APPLICATION” by Lu Lu, YuChen, Jun Li, Xin Li, and Shuangxi Huang, which claims the benefit ofChinese Application Nos. 201110342315.0, filed Nov. 2, 2011, and201110421915.6, filed Dec. 15, 2011. U.S. application Ser. No.13/666,998 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to computer and embedding technologies,and in particular to methods and apparatuses for window display, andmethods and apparatuses for touch-operating an application.

BACKGROUND

Conventionally a terminal having a touch screen, such as personalcomputer (PC), tablet computer (Pad) or mobile terminal, will display awindow in one of the following manners when a user clicks an icon ortriggers an application on the terminal:

-   -   1. displaying the window at a preset physical position on the        screen, such as the upper right corner or center of the screen;    -   2. displaying the window at a position where the window was        previously closed.

The inventor of the application has found that there are some problemswith the conventional display methods. The window cannot be displayed ata position corresponding to the user. Consequently, the user may notface directly the displayed window, and have to move. This isinconvenient to the user. Most of such terminals are designed for use bya single user. It is thus inconvenient when the terminals are used bymore than one user.

There are further problems with some conventional techniques. Some ofthese conventional techniques support two-point touch operation mode,which is developed from the existing windows interactive operation mode.However, these techniques support only usage by a single user, andapplications are executed in a single task mode. No interactive mode isenabled for simultaneous use by several users. Further, the softwaresupports only display in a single orientation, and thus the user canonly use the terminal along a single orientation. Other of theconventional techniques support multi-touch mode, and the user canperform touch operations at upper and lower positions of the screen.However, these techniques allow the user to use the terminal in just twoorientations, which are fixed and unchangeable.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods and apparatus forwindow display, which enables displaying a window in an appropriateposition for convenient use.

A method for displaying a window on a data processing terminal, themethod comprising:

displaying a main menu including at least one menu item;

determining a first window corresponding to a first menu item in themain menu based on a first input operation on the first menu item;

determining a position parameter and/or an orientation parameter for thefirst window; and

displaying the first window according to the position parameter and/orthe orientation parameter.

In an embodiment, the at least one menu item is arranged in a loop toform the main menu. A position for displaying the first window isdetermined based on the position of the first menu item relative to themain menu.

In an embodiment, the first window is determined to be positioned in anextended part of a line connecting a center of the main menu and thefirst menu item based on the position of the first menu item relative tothe main menu.

In an embodiment, an orientation for displaying the first menu item is afirst orientation, an orientation for displaying the first window is asecond orientation, and the first orientation is the same as the secondorientation.

In an embodiment, the at least one menu item is arranged in a loop toform the main menu which has a shape of circle or regular polygon. Thefirst window is determined to be positioned in a radial orientation ofthe main menu.

In an embodiment, the terminal comprises at least three edges, andwhether the terminal is being used by a user can be determined throughdetection on the edges. When it is determined that the terminal is beingused by a user, determining a first one of the edges which is closest tothe user, and determining the first window to be at a position havingthe shortest distance from the first edge.

In an embodiment, the terminal comprises at least three edges, andwhether the terminal is being used by a user can be determined throughdetection on the edges. When it is determined that the terminal is beingused by a user, determining a first one of the edges which is closest tothe user, and determining the first window to be displayed in aorientation perpendicular to the first edge.

In an embodiment, the first window is displayed in an orientationperpendicular to a line connecting the eyes of a user in front of any ofthe menu items.

An apparatus for displaying a window on a data processing terminal, theapparatus comprising:

a first display module configured to display a main menu including atleast one menu item;

a first determination module configured to determine a first windowcorresponding to a first menu item in the main menu based on a firstinput operation on the first menu item;

a second determination module configured to determine a positionparameter and/or an orientation parameter for the first window; and

a second display module configured to display the first window accordingto the position parameter and/or the orientation parameter.

In an embodiment, the at least one menu item is arranged in a loop toform the main menu. The second determination module is furtherconfigured to determine a position for displaying the first window basedon the position of the first menu item relative to the main menu.

In an embodiment, the second determination module is further configuredto determine the first window to be positioned in an extended part of aline connecting a center of the main menu and the first menu item basedon the position of the first menu item relative to the main menu.

In an embodiment, an orientation for displaying the first menu item is afirst orientation, an orientation for displaying the first window is asecond orientation, and the first orientation is the same as the secondorientation.

In an embodiment, the at least one menu item is arranged in a loop toform the main menu which has a shape of circle or regular polygon. Thesecond determination module is further configured to determine the firstwindow to be positioned in a radial orientation of the main menu.

In an embodiment, the terminal comprises at least three edges, andwhether the terminal is being used by a user can be determined throughdetection on the edges. The second determination module is furtherconfigured to determine a first one of the edges which is closest to theuser when it is determined that the terminal is being used by a user,and determine the first window to be at a position having the shortestdistance from the first edge.

In an embodiment, the terminal comprises at least three edges, andwhether the terminal is being used by a user can be determined throughdetection on the edges. The second determination module is furtherconfigured to determine a first one of the edges which is closest to theuser when it is determined that the terminal is being used by a user,and to determine the first window to be displayed in an orientationperpendicular to the first edge.

In an embodiment, the first window is displayed in an orientationperpendicular to a line connecting the eyes of a user in front of any ofthe menu items.

The method for displaying a window according to embodiments of thepresent invention displays a main menu including at least one menu item,determines a first window corresponding to a first menu item in the mainmenu based on a first input operation on the first menu item, determinesa position parameter and/or an orientation parameter for the firstwindow, and displays the first window according to the positionparameter and/or the orientation parameter. By displaying a sub menuitem or an application according to a position parameter and/or anorientation parameter for a first menu item or according to a positionparameter and/or an orientation parameter for a user, it is possible todisplay a corresponding window in an appropriate position so that it ismore convenient for the user to view or use. This improves the userexperiences and facilitates practical applications.

A method for touch-operating an application in a data processingterminal, the data processing terminal comprises a screen having amulti-touch function, and displays in operation at least a main menu onthe screen, the main menu comprises M touch areas each corresponding toan application, and graphics and/or texts in each of the M touch areascan be displayed in at least two different positive orientations,wherein M is an integer greater than 1, the method comprises:

generating an operation instruction for the main menu based on a firstinput operation on a region of the screen corresponding to the mainmenu;

for each of the M touch areas, adjusting the display position of thetouch area from a first position to a second position based on theoperation instruction, wherein the positive orientation for graphicsand/or texts in at least one of the M touch areas is different betweenthe first position and the second position;

generating an application enabling instruction based on an operation forenabling an application corresponding to a first touch area on the firsttouch area; and

enabling the application corresponding to the first touch area based onthe application enabling instruction.

In an embodiment, each of the M touch areas of the main menu is, at bothof its sides, adjacent to one of the touch areas.

In an embodiment, the main menu is of a circle, ellipse or regularpolygon shape. If the main menu is of a circle or regular polygon shape,the positive orientation is a radial orientation of the main menu.

In an embodiment, generating an operation instruction for the main menubased on a first input operation on a region of the screen correspondingto the main menu comprises:

generating an operation instruction for the main menu based on arotation operation with a radian on a region of the screen correspondingto the main menu; or

generating an operation instruction for the main menu based on a movingoperation along a line on a region of the screen corresponding to themain menu; or

generating an operation instruction for the main menu based on a clickoperation on an initial position of any of the M touch areas and a clickoperation on a target position on a region of the screen correspondingto the main menu.

In an embodiment, the regions of the screen corresponding to therespective M touch areas are equal or different in size.

In an embodiment, when applications corresponding to the respective Mtouch areas are enabled, the regions of the screen occupied by theapplications are equal or different in size.

In an embodiment, at least one of the M touch areas has at least onecorresponding sub touch area;

the method further comprises:

generating a sub touch area enabling instruction based on a second inputoperation on the touch area having the corresponding sub touch area; and

enabling the sub touch area corresponding to the touch area based on thesub touch area enabling instruction.

An apparatus for touch-operating an application in a data processingterminal, the data processing terminal comprises a screen having amulti-touch function, and displays in operation at least a main menu onthe screen, the main menu comprises M touch areas each corresponding toan application, and graphics and/or texts in each of the M touch areascan be displayed in at least two different positive orientations,wherein M is an integer greater than 1, the apparatus comprises:

a first generation module configured to generate an operationinstruction for the main menu based on a first input operation on aregion of the screen corresponding to the main menu;

an adjustment module configured to, for each of the M touch areas,adjusting the display position of the touch area from a first positionto a second position based on the operation instruction, wherein thepositive orientation for graphics and/or texts in at least one of the Mtouch areas is different between the first position and the secondposition;

a second generation module configured to generate an applicationenabling instruction based on an operation for enabling an applicationcorresponding to a first touch area on the first touch area; and

an operation module configured to enable the application correspondingto the first touch area based on the application enabling instruction.

In an embodiment, each of the M touch areas of the main menu is, at bothof its sides, adjacent to one of the touch areas.

In an embodiment, the main menu is of a circle, ellipse or regularpolygon shape, or an irregular pattern having only one central region.If the main menu is of a circle or regular polygon shape, the positiveorientation is a radial orientation of the main menu.

In an embodiment, the first generation module is further configured to:

generate an operation instruction for the main menu based on a rotationoperation with a radian on a region of the screen corresponding to themain menu; or

generate an operation instruction for the main menu based on a movingoperation along a line on a region of the screen corresponding to themain menu; or

generate an operation instruction for the main menu based on a clickoperation on an initial position of any of the M touch areas and a clickoperation on a target position on a region of the screen correspondingto the main menu.

In an embodiment, the regions of the screen corresponding to therespective M touch areas are equal or different in size.

In an embodiment, when applications corresponding to the respective Mtouch areas are enabled, the regions of the screen occupied by theapplications are equal or different in size.

In an embodiment, at least one of the M touch areas has at least onecorresponding sub touch area;

the second generation module is further configured to generate a subtouch area enabling instruction based on a second input operation on thetouch area having the corresponding sub touch area; and

the operation module is further configured to enable the sub touch areacorresponding to the touch area based on the sub touch area enablinginstruction.

The method for touch-operating an application according to embodimentsof the present invention comprises: generating an operation instructionfor the main menu based on a first input operation on a region of thescreen corresponding to the main menu; for each of the M touch areas,adjusting the display position of the touch area from a first positionto a second position based on the operation instruction, wherein thepositive orientation for graphics and/or texts in at least one of the Mtouch areas is different between the first position and the secondposition; generating an application enabling instruction based on anoperation for enabling an application corresponding to a first toucharea on the first touch area; and enabling the application correspondingto the first touch area based on the application enabling instruction.According to the embodiments, the main menu can be rotated and operatedsimultaneously by multiple users. It is possible to enable the users toalways face directly to the main menu, and thus improve convenience.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the structure of anapparatus for displaying a window according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a circular main menu according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart showing a method for displaying a windowaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing the structure of anapparatus for touch-operating an application according to an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of a circular main menu according to anembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart showing a method for touch-operating anapplication according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The method for displaying a window according to embodiments of thepresent invention displays a main menu including at least one menu item,determines a first window corresponding to a first menu item in the mainmenu based on a first input operation on the first menu item, determinesa position parameter and/or an orientation parameter for the firstwindow, and displays the first window according to the positionparameter and/or the orientation parameter. By displaying a sub menuitem or an application according to a position parameter and/or anorientation parameter for a first menu item or according to a positionparameter and/or an orientation parameter for a user, it is possible todisplay a corresponding window in an appropriate position so that it ismore convenient for the user to view or use. This improves the userexperiences and facilitates practical applications.

Referring to FIG. 1, an apparatus for displaying a window according toan embodiment of the present invention may include a first displaymodule 101, a first determination module 102, a second determinationmodule 103, and a second display module 104. The apparatus may beapplied to a data processing terminal.

The first display module 101 may be configured to display a main menuincluding at least one menu item. The first display module 101 maydisplay at last a main menu on a screen of a data processing terminalduring the operation of the terminal. The main menu may include M menuitems arranged in a loop to form the main menu. Each of the M menu itemsmay be, at either of its sides, adjacent to one of the M menu items. Atleast one of the M menu items may correspond to an application, and/orcorrespond to a sub menu item. M may be an integer not less than 1. Eachof the M menu items in the main menu may correspond to a different typeof application. The user may initiate an application, such as playingback videos or viewing photos, after performing an input operation onthe corresponding menu item. Alternatively, at least one of the M menuitems may correspond to a sub menu item. The sub menu item may bepreferably in a shape of fan. If the main menu can be rotated or moved,the corresponding sub menu item will be rotated or moved along with therotation or movement of the main menu. Each menu item or sub menu itemmay have corresponding texts and/or graphics placed thereon forexplaining content corresponding to the menu item or the sub menu item.For example, a menu item may be “video,” and the sub menu items underthe menu item may be classified into different categories, such as“entertainment video,” “sports video” and the like. If a menu item maycorrespond to sub menu items, the sub menu items under the menu item maybe displayed when the user clicks on the menu item. The user mayinitiate the desired application by clicking on the corresponding submenu item. The embodiment of the present invention may allow the user touse several applications simultaneously, and also allow multiple usersto operate on the screen.

In an embodiment, the main menu may be in different shapes, such ascircle, polygon or ellipse. The main menu may be rotatable to allow auser to rotate it clockwise or counter-clockwise at any angle. Thegraphics and/or texts on the main menu may be rotated, along with therotation of the main menu, to a position desirable by the user. The mainmenu may be an enclosed pattern.

In an example shown in FIG. 2, the main menu is in a circle shape andpartitioned into 6 touch areas. Each of the touch areas may represent adifferent type of application. Graphics and/or texts for each touch areamay be arranged in an orientation perpendicular to the tangent of thecircle. No matter along which orientation a user operates the main menuon the screen, graphics and/or texts on the main menu closest to theuser may always face directly the user. This guarantees that the usermay always perform operations, such as selection, along a positiveorientation, and thus improves convenience.

The first determination module 102 may be configured to determine afirst window corresponding to a first menu item in the main menu basedon a first input operation on the first menu item. When the userperforms the first input operation on the first menu item in the mainmenu, the first determination module 102 may determine the first windowcorresponding to the first menu item. The first window may represent anapplication or sub menu items. In an embodiment, the size of the firstwindow may be smaller than that of the display region of the terminalscreen.

The second determination module 103 may be configured to determine aposition parameter and/or an orientation parameter for the first window.After the first determination module 102 determines the first windowcorresponding to the first menu item, the second determination module103 may determine a corresponding position parameter and/or orientationparameter for the first window.

For example, the second determination module 103 may determine the firstwindow to be positioned in an extended part of a line connecting acenter of the main menu and the first menu item based on the position ofthe first menu item relative to the main menu, as shown in FIG. 2 inwhich the dotted line denotes the extended part of the line connectingthe center of the main menu and the first menu item. The orientation fordisplaying the first menu item is a first orientation, the orientationfor displaying the first window is a second orientation, and the firstorientation are the same as the second orientation.

Alternatively, if the main menu is of a circle or regular polygon shape,the second determination module 103 may determine the first window to bepositioned in a radial orientation of the main menu. The radial of themain menu may have its endpoint as the center of the main menu. The mainmenu may be rotatable or not rotatable.

The terminal may include at least three edges. The second determinationmodule 103 may perform detection, such as detection at regular interval,periodical detection or random detection, on each of the edges todetermine whether the terminal is being used by a user. When it isdetermined that the terminal is being used by a user, the seconddetermination module 103 may determine a first one of the edges which isclosest to the user, and then determine the first window to be at aposition having the shortest distance from the first edge. That is, thefirst window is placed at a position having the shortest distance fromthe user so that it is more convenient for the user to view the firstwindow. Alternatively, the second determination module 103 may determinethe first window to be displayed in an orientation perpendicular to thefirst edge, that is, placing the first window at a position directlyfacing the user. Preferably, the first window for any menu item may bedisplayed in an orientation perpendicular to a line connecting the eyesof the user operating on the menu item, and the first window may bedisplayed in an orientation away from the user.

The second display module 104 may be configured to display the firstwindow according to the position parameter and/or the orientationparameter. After the second determination module 103 determines thedisplay position and orientation for the first window, the seconddisplay module 104 may display the first window according to thedetermined display position and orientation.

If the main menu is rotatable, the user may rotate a menu item in themain menu to a positive orientation with respect to the user beforeoperating on the menu item. The second determination module 103 maydetermine a positive orientation for a sub menu item or an applicationwith respect to the user, based on a position and/or orientationparameter of the user, so that the application or sub menu item may bedisplayed in a positive orientation with respect to the user, and thusconvenient to use by the user. If the user performs an input operationon the first menu item displayed in the positive orientation withrespect to the user, the operation module 102 may also display the submenu item or the application to be enabled according to the positionand/or orientation parameter of the first menu item.

If the user does not first rotate the main menu, or if the main menu isnot rotatable, the first menu item to be operated may be not in thepositive orientation with respect to the user. In this case, when theuser performs an input operation on the first menu item, the firstdetermination module 102 may determine a first window corresponding tothe first menu item, the second determination module 103 may determine aposition parameter and/or an orientation parameter corresponding to thefirst window, and the second display module 104 may display the sub menuitem or application to be enabled in an orientation as close as possibleto the positive orientation with respect to the user, based on theposition parameter and/or orientation parameter determined by the seconddetermination module 103. Here, the positive orientation with respect tothe user in the embodiment may refer to an orientation perpendicular toa line connecting the eyes of the user in front of an input area closestto the user. In other words, the first window may be display in anorientation perpendicular to a line connecting the eyes of the user infront of any of the menu items.

Hereafter an example of a method for displaying a window will bedescribed.

The flow of the method for displaying a window in an embodiment is shownin FIG. 3. The method may be applicable in a data processing terminal.

Step 301: displaying a main menu including at least one menu item;

Step 302: determining a first window corresponding to a first menu itemin the main menu based on a first input operation on the first menuitem;

Step 303: determining a position parameter and/or an orientationparameter for the first window; and

Step 304: displaying the first window according to the positionparameter and/or the orientation parameter.

The method for displaying a window according to embodiments of thepresent invention displays a main menu including at least one menu item,determines a first window corresponding to a first menu item in the mainmenu based on a first input operation on the first menu item, determinesa position parameter and/or an orientation parameter for the firstwindow, and displays the first window according to the positionparameter and/or the orientation parameter. By displaying a sub menuitem or an application according to information about position and/ororientation for a first menu item, it is possible to display acorresponding window in an appropriate position so that it is moreconvenient for the user to view or use. This improves the userexperiences and facilitates practical applications. Alternatively, a submenu item or an application may be displayed according to informationabout position and/or orientation of the user performing the first inputoperation, so that the sub menu item or application may be displayed inthe positive orientation with respect to the user, even though the mainmenu is not rotatable or the user does not rotate the main menu inadvance. This facilitates the user's operation, and improvesintelligence, user-friendliness and flexibility of a device.

In another aspect of the present invention, a method for touch-operatingan application according to embodiments of the present invention mayinclude: generating an operation instruction for the main menu based ona first input operation on a region of the screen corresponding to themain menu; for each of the M touch areas, adjusting the display positionof the touch area from a first position to a second position based onthe operation instruction, wherein the positive orientation for graphicsand/or texts in at least one of the M touch areas is different betweenthe first position and the second position; generating an applicationenabling instruction based on an operation for enabling an applicationcorresponding to a first touch area on the first touch area; andenabling the application corresponding to the first touch area based onthe application enabling instruction. According to the embodiments, themain menu can be rotated and operated simultaneously by multiple users.It is possible to enable the users to always face directly to the mainmenu, and thus improve convenience.

Referring to FIG. 4, an apparatus for touch-operating an applicationaccording to embodiments of the present invention may include a firstgeneration module 401, an adjustment module 403, a second generationmodule 403 and an operation module 404. The apparatus may be applied toa data processing terminal equipped with a screen having a multi-touchfunction. The data processing terminal may display in operation at leasta main menu on the screen. The main menu may include M touch areas eachof which is, at both of its sides, adjacent to one of the touch areas.Each of the M touch areas may correspond to an application. Graphicsand/or texts in each of the M touch areas can be displayed in at leasttwo different positive orientations, wherein M is an integer greaterthan 1. In embodiments of the present invention, a positive orientationmay refer to an orientation in which graphics and/or texts in the touchareas face directly the user. In other words, the positive orientationin which graphics and/or texts in any of the touch areas are displayedis an orientation perpendicular to a line connecting the eyes of theuser in front of the touch area. In an embodiment, the main menu may bean enclosed spatial pattern. A radial of the main menu may have itsendpoint as the center of the main menu.

The first generation module 401 may be configured to generate anoperation instruction for the main menu based on a first input operationon a region of the screen corresponding to the main menu. The user mayperform the first input operation on a region of the screencorresponding to the main menu. For example, the first generation module401 may generate an operation instruction for the main menu based on arotation operation with a radian on a region of the screen correspondingto the main menu, or generate an operation instruction for the main menubased on a moving operation along a line on a region of the screencorresponding to the main menu, or generate an operation instruction forthe main menu based on a click operation on an initial position of anyof the M touch areas and a click operation on a target position on aregion of the screen corresponding to the main menu.

The adjustment module 403 may be configured to, for each of the M touchareas, adjusting the display position of the touch area from a firstposition to a second position based on the operation instruction,wherein the positive orientation for graphics and/or texts in at leastone of the M touch areas may be different between the first position andthe second position. In an embodiment, there is a first touch area amongthe M touch areas. The first position of the first touch area is furtheraway from the user than the second position of the first touch area. Theadjustment module 403 may, based on the operation instruction, move thedesired first touch area in the main menu to a position closer to theuser.

Each of the M touch areas in the main menu may correspond to a differenttype of application, and thus a type of application, such as playingback video or viewing photos, may be initiated when the user clicks onthe corresponding touch area. Alternatively, at least one of the M touchareas may correspond to at least one sub touch area. In an embodiment,the sub touch area may be in a shape of fan. When the main menu isrotated or moved, the sub touch area may be rotated or moved along withthe main menu. For example, one of the touch areas may correspond to“video,” and the sub touch areas under the touch area may correspond todifferent categories, such as “entertainment video,” or “sports video.”If a touch area has corresponding sub touch areas, these sub touch areasmay be displayed when the user clicks on the touch area. Then, the usermay initiate the desired application by clicking on one or more of thesub touch area. These embodiments of the present invention allow a userto use more than one application simultaneously, and also allow severalusers to operate simultaneously.

In an embodiment, the main menu may be rotatable. The main menu may bein different shapes, such as circle, polygon or ellipse. The main menumay be rotated clockwise or counter-clockwise at any angle. At the sametime, graphics and/or texts on the main menu may be rotated along withthe main menu to a position as expected by the user. When the main menuis in a shape of circle or regular polygon, the positive orientation mayrefer to a radial orientation of the main menu in embodiments of thepresent invention. FIG. 5 shows an example of the main menu. The mainmenu is shaped as a circle, and partitioned into 6 touch areas. Each ofthe touch areas may represent a type of application, and graphics and/ortexts (in FIG. 5, texts are taken as an example) on each touch area maybe displayed in an orientation perpendicular to the tangent of thecircle. No matter in which orientation the main menu is operated by theuser, graphics and/or texts on the main menu closest to the user mayalways face directly the user. This guarantees that the user may alwaysoperate the main menu in a positive orientation, which is convenient forthe user's operation.

In an embodiment, the sub touch areas may be scaled up or down. Forexample, the sub touch area may be scaled up or down by the user'smanual operation. The user may separate his or her two fingers in adirection of increasing the distance between the two fingers whiletouching one of the sub touch area, and accordingly the sub touch areamay be increased in size. The user may also pinch his or her two fingersin a direction of decreasing the distance between the two fingers whiletouching one of the sub touch area, and accordingly the sub touch areamay be decreased in size. The respective M touch areas may correspond todisplay regions on the screen which are equal or different in size. Thesizes of these display regions may be adjustable. For example, the firsttouch area may correspond to 3 sub touch areas, and their displayregions on the screen may be equal or different in size. The sizes ofthe display regions may be adjustable. In another example, the firsttouch area may correspond to one sub touch area, and the second toucharea may correspond to 3 sub touch areas. The display regions on thescreen corresponding to the four sub touch areas may be equal ordifferent in size. The sizes of the display regions may be adjustable.

The second generation module 403 may be configured to generate anapplication enabling instruction based on an operation for enabling anapplication corresponding to a first touch area on the first touch area.The user may operate on the first touch area, such as clicking on thetouch area. The second generation module 403 may generate an applicationenabling instruction when receiving the clicking operation.

The second generation module 403 may be further configured to generate asub touch area enabling instruction based on a second input operation onthe touch area having the corresponding sub touch area. In anembodiment, the second input operation may be a clicking operation. Whenthe user clicks on a touch area corresponding to a sub touch area, thesecond generation module 403 receives the click operation by the user,and generates a sub touch area enabling instruction.

The operation module 404 is configured to enable the applicationcorresponding to the first touch area based on the application enablinginstruction. When receiving the application enabling instruction, theoperation module 404 may enable the application corresponding to thefirst touch area. The application enabling instruction may carry a toucharea identifier so that the operation module 404 may enable anapplication corresponding to the touch area as identified by the toucharea identifier.

The operation module 404 may automatically adjust the size of the screenregion occupied by each application, if necessary. For example, a useris watching video, and another user is listening to music. The videoapplication may require a larger region of the screen, and accordinglythe operation module 404 may increase the size of the screen regionoccupied by the video application. Alternatively, the user may performmanual adjustment. For example, an application may be embedded withbuttons for scale-up or scale-down, and the user may perform adjustmentby clicking on these buttons. When applications corresponding to therespective M touch areas are enabled, these applications may occupyregions of the screen having equal or different sizes. The size of eachregion may be adjustable.

The operation module 404 may be further configured to enable the subtouch area corresponding to the touch area based on the sub touch areaenabling instruction. When receiving the sub touch area enablinginstruction sent from the second generation module 403, the operationmodule 404 may enable the sub touch area corresponding to the touch areabased on the sub touch area enabling instruction. In an embodiment, thesub touch area enabling instruction may carry a touch area identifier,and the operation module 404 may enable a sub touch area correspondingto the touch area as identified by the touch area identifier.

Hereafter an example of a method for touch-operating an application willbe described.

The flow of the method for touch-operating an application in anembodiment is shown in FIG. 6.

Step 601: generating an operation instruction for the main menu based ona first input operation on a region of the screen corresponding to themain menu;

Step 602: for each of the M touch areas, adjusting the display positionof the touch area from a first position to a second position based onthe operation instruction, wherein the positive orientation for graphicsand/or texts in at least one of the M touch areas is different betweenthe first position and the second position;

Step 603: generating an application enabling instruction based on anoperation for enabling an application corresponding to a first toucharea on the first touch area; and

Step 604: enabling the application corresponding to the first touch areabased on the application enabling instruction.

The method may be applied to a data processing terminal equipped with ascreen having a multi-touch function. The data processing terminal maydisplay in operation at least a main menu on the screen. The main menumay include M touch areas each corresponding to an application. Graphicsand/or texts in each of the M touch areas can be displayed in at leasttwo different positive orientations, wherein M is an integer greaterthan 1.

The method for touch-operating an application according to embodimentsof the present invention comprises: generating an operation instructionfor the main menu based on a first input operation on a region of thescreen corresponding to the main menu; for each of the M touch areas,adjusting the display position of the touch area from a first positionto a second position based on the operation instruction, wherein thepositive orientation for graphics and/or texts in at least one of the Mtouch areas is different between the first position and the secondposition; generating an application enabling instruction based on anoperation for enabling an application corresponding to a first toucharea on the first touch area; and enabling the application correspondingto the first touch area based on the application enabling instruction.According to the embodiments, the main menu can be rotated and operatedsimultaneously by multiple users. It is possible to enable the users toalways face directly to the main menu, and thus improve convenience.Regions of the screen occupied by the touch areas or applications may beadjusted in size as required. The main menu may be presented indifferent shapes. This also improves convenience and flexibility.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the presentinvention may be provided as methods, systems or computer programproducts, and thus may take a form of hardware, software or combinationthereof. Embodiments of the present invention may also be implemented ascomputer program product in the form of one or more computer readablestorage media (including but not limited to disk memories and opticalmemories) containing computer readable program codes.

The present invention has been described with reference to flowchartsand/or block diagrams of methods, apparatuses (systems) and computerprogram products according to embodiments of the present invention. Itwill be appreciated that each step and/or block in the flowcharts and/orblock diagrams or combination thereof may be implemented in computerprogram instructions. The computer program instructions may be loadedonto a processor of a general computer, a dedicated computer, anembedded processing device or any other programmable data processingdevice to generate a machine, so that the instructions, when executed bythe processor of the computer or other programmable data processingdevice, generate means for performing the functions specified in one ormore steps and/or blocks in the flowcharts and/or block diagrams.

These computer program instructions may be also stored in a computerreadable memory that may direct computers or other programmable dataprocessing devices to operate in a specific manner, so that theinstructions stored in the computer readable memory may generate amanufacture article containing instruction means which perform thefunctions specified in one or more steps and/or blocks in the flowchartsand/or block diagrams.

These computer program instructions may be also loaded onto computers orother programmable data processing devices, so that the computers orother programmable data processing devices perform a sequence ofoperation steps for computer-implemented processing. When executed onthe computers or other programmable data processing devices, theinstructions provide steps for performing the functions specified in oneor more steps and/or blocks in the flowcharts and/or block diagrams.

The foregoing description is intended to illustrate the exemplaryembodiments of the present disclosure. It will be readily understood bya person skilled in the art that various modifications and variationsmay be made to the present invention without departing from the spiritand scope of the present invention, and these modifications andvariations also fall into the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for touch-operating an application in adata processing terminal, wherein the data processing terminal comprisesa screen having a multi-touch function, and displays in operation atleast a main menu on the screen, the main menu comprises M touch areaseach corresponding to an application, and graphics and/or texts in eachof the M touch areas can be displayed in at least two different positivedirections, wherein M is an integer greater than 1, the methodcomprising: generating an operation instruction for the main menu basedon a first input operation on a region of the screen corresponding tothe main menu; for each of the M touch areas, adjusting the displayposition of the touch area from a first position to a second positionbased on the operation instruction, wherein the positive direction forgraphics and/or texts in at least one of the M touch areas is differentbetween the first position and the second position; generating anapplication enabling instruction based on an operation on a first toucharea of the M touch areas for enabling an application corresponding tothe first touch area; and enabling the application corresponding to thefirst touch area based on the application enabling instruction.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein each of the M touch areas of the main menuis, at both of its sides, adjacent to one of the touch areas.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein said generating an operation instruction forthe main menu based on a first input operation on a region of the screencorresponding to the main menu comprises: generating an operationinstruction for the main menu based on a rotation operation with aradian on a region of the screen corresponding to the main menu; orgenerating an operation instruction for the main menu based on a movingoperation along a line on a region of the screen corresponding to themain menu; or generating an operation instruction for the main menubased on a click operation on an initial position of any of the M touchareas and a click operation on a target position on a region of thescreen corresponding to the main menu.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinat least one of the M touch areas has at least one corresponding subtouch area; and the method further comprises: generating a sub toucharea enabling instruction based on a second input operation on the toucharea having the corresponding sub touch area; and enabling the sub toucharea corresponding to the touch area based on the sub touch areaenabling instruction.
 5. An apparatus for touch-operating an applicationin a data processing terminal, wherein the data processing terminalcomprises a screen having a multi-touch function, and displays inoperation at least a main menu on the screen, the main menu comprises Mtouch areas each corresponding to an application, and graphics and/ortexts in each of the M touch areas can be displayed in at least twodifferent positive directions, wherein M is an integer greater than 1,the apparatus comprising: a first generation module configured togenerate an operation instruction for the main menu based on a firstinput operation on a region of the screen corresponding to the mainmenu; an adjustment module configured to, for each of the M touch areas,adjust the display position of the touch area from a first position to asecond position based on the operation instruction, wherein the positivedirection for graphics and/or texts in at least one of the M touch areasis different between the first position and the second position; asecond generation module configured to generate, based on an operationon a first touch area of the M touch areas, an application enablinginstruction for enabling an application corresponding to the first toucharea; and an operation module configured to enable the applicationcorresponding to the first touch area based on the application enablinginstruction.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein each of the M touchareas of the main menu is, at both of its sides, adjacent to one of thetouch areas.
 7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first generationmodule is further configured to: generate an operation instruction forthe main menu based on a rotation operation with a radian on a region ofthe screen corresponding to the main menu; or generate an operationinstruction for the main menu based on a moving operation along a lineon a region of the screen corresponding to the main menu; or generate anoperation instruction for the main menu based on a click operation on aninitial position of any of the M touch areas and a click operation on atarget position on a region of the screen corresponding to the mainmenu.
 8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein at least one of the M touchareas has at least one corresponding sub touch area; the secondgeneration module is further configured to generate a sub touch areaenabling instruction based on a second input operation on the touch areahaving the corresponding sub touch area; and the operation module isfurther configured to enable the sub touch area corresponding to thetouch area based on the sub touch area enabling instruction.